System for placing orders through the internet to a selected store of a chain of stores
First Claim
1. A method of receiving and placing an order on the Internet to a selected store of a chain of stores, comprising:
- (a) storing at an Internet web site at least a partial list of stores of a chain of stores, and their postal addresses, where each store of the at least a partial list of stores services customers in a specific geographical area;
(b) storing at said Internet web site a postal-service listing of customers potentially serviced by said at least a partial list of stores;
(c) creating the potentiality of establishing a point-to-point connection between the computer associated with said Internet web site with the associated computer of each of said at least a partial list of stores;
(d) receiving a request to order at said Internet web site from a customer;
(e) determining at said web site which store of said at least a partial list of stores services the customer of said step (d) (f) receiving the order from the customer of said step (d);
(g) downloading the order received in said step (f) to the selected store from said step (e);
(h) said step (g) comprising downloading the order directly into the computer system of the selected store, thereby bypassing the order-taking process of the selected store.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Internet service that links a plurality of stores of a chain of restaurants together on the Internet at a central server website, whereby the Internet service is based upon postal address alone, and where the software at the web site determines the store closest to the calling customer on the Internet strictly by both postal address which corresponds to the same type of postal-address driven system employed at each store serviced by the system of the invention. The customer order is input directly into the computerized ordering system of the closest, selected store, thereby bypassing the conventional manner of ordering through a live order-taker. The system of the invention is directly linked to the computers of the restaurants of the chain of restaurants, whereby the menu and pricing of each store may be made uploaded to the web site, and displayed on the Internet server web site.
81 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method of receiving and placing an order on the Internet to a selected store of a chain of stores, comprising:
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(a) storing at an Internet web site at least a partial list of stores of a chain of stores, and their postal addresses, where each store of the at least a partial list of stores services customers in a specific geographical area;
(b) storing at said Internet web site a postal-service listing of customers potentially serviced by said at least a partial list of stores;
(c) creating the potentiality of establishing a point-to-point connection between the computer associated with said Internet web site with the associated computer of each of said at least a partial list of stores;
(d) receiving a request to order at said Internet web site from a customer;
(e) determining at said web site which store of said at least a partial list of stores services the customer of said step (d) (f) receiving the order from the customer of said step (d);
(g) downloading the order received in said step (f) to the selected store from said step (e);
(h) said step (g) comprising downloading the order directly into the computer system of the selected store, thereby bypassing the order-taking process of the selected store. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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16. A method of sending an order received on the Internet to a selected store of a chain of stores, comprising:
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(a) storing at an Internet web site at least a partial list of stores of a chain of stores with their locations, where each store of the at least a partial list of stores services customers in a specific geographical area;
(b) storing at said Internet web site a postal-service listing of customers potentially serviced by said at least a partial list of stores;
(c) creating the potentiality of establishing a point-to-point connection between the computer associated with said Internet web site with the associated computer of each of said at least a partial list of stores;
(d) determining at said web site which store of said at least a partial list of stores services a customer placing an order;
(e) downloading a customer order to the selected store from said step (d);
(f) said step (g) comprising downloading the order directly into the computer system of the selected store, thereby bypassing the order-taking process of the selected store.
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26. A system for sending an order received on the Internet to a selected store of a chain of stores, comprising:
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a web-site on the Internet, said web site having a dedicated computer means and memory means operatively associated with said computer means, said memory means comprising;
a first section storing at least a partial list of stores of a chain of stores by postal address, where each store of the at least a partial list of stores services customers in a specific geographical area;
a second section storing a postal-service listing of customers potentially serviced by said at least a partial list of stores;
a third section storing applications software for creating the potentiality of establishing a point-to-point connection between the computer associated with said Internet web site with the associated computer of each of said at least a partial list of stores;
a fourth section storing applications software for determining at said web site which store of said at least a partial list of stores services a customer placing an order; and
a fifth section storing applications software for downloading a customer order directly into the computer system of the selected store, thereby bypassing the order-taking process of the selected store.
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Specification